Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act 1967

Legislation au C1967A00109 Not in force Act

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Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions)

 

No. 109 of 1967

An Act relating to the Stevedoring Industry.

[Assented to 14 November 1967]

BE it enacted by the Queens Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act 1967.

Commencement.

2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.


Incorporation.

3. This Act shall be incorporated and read as one with the Stevedoring Industry Act.

Cessation of operation of Act

4. This Act, unless sooner repealed, ceases to be in force on the first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and seventy, and shall be deemed to have been repealed on that date.

Definitions.

5. In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—

the Fund has the same meaning as in the Stevedoring Industry Charge Assessment Act 1947-1967;

the holding company means the company registered under the law of the State of New South Wales under the name Stevedoring Employers of Australia Limited;

the Stevedoring Industry Act means the Stevedoring Industry Act 1956-1966.

Permanent ports.

6.—(1.) Where the Minister is satisfied that, as from a particular date, not being a date before the commencement of this Act, employment as waterside workers on a weekly hiring has been available at a port for all registered regular waterside workers at the port, the Minister may, by instrument in writing, declare the port to be, and to be deemed to have been as from that date, a permanent port for the purposes of this Act.

(2.) A declaration under this section shall be notified in the Gazette.

Payments by the Authority to the holding company.

7. Subject to any direction of the Minister, the Authority may make payments to the holding company for the purpose of meeting the cost to the holding company of—

(a) wages payable to registered regular waterside workers at permanent ports in respect of shifts during which the waterside workers are available for work but are not required to work;

(b) payments in respect of waterside workers whose registration under the Stevedoring Industry Act at a port is cancelled on the ground that the number of waterside workers at the port is more than the number required for the proper and effective conduct of stevedoring operations at the port;

(c) wages payable in respect of any period during which a registered regular waterside worker at a permanent port is absent from work on annual leave, being leave—

(i) to which the waterside worker became entitled before the date as from which the port is to be deemed to have been a permanent port; and

(ii) which commenced on or after that date and before the next thirtieth day of June after that date; and


(d) contributions to the Fund paid, or to be paid, by the holding company on behalf of the Association of Employers of Waterside Labour.

Regulations.

8.—(1.) The Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act—

(a) making such provision as is necessary or convenient to take account of any changes in the organization of the stevedoring industry consequent upon the introduction at permanent ports of a scheme of employment for waterside workers on a weekly hiring or of the establishment or operation of the Fund, being provision—

(i) with respect to the performance of stevedoring operations;

(ii) to ensure that a sufficient number of waterside workers of the necessary physical fitness, and with the necessary competence and efficiency, is available for the performance of stevedoring operations;

(iii) to ensure that the labour of waterside workers available for stevedoring operations is used to the best advantage; or

(iv) with respect to disciplinary measures applicable to registered waterside workers;

(b) making provision in relation to long service leave for registered waterside workers; and

(c) making such provision as is necessary or convenient to be made to complement, or as is incidental to the operation of, any provision made under either of the last two preceding paragraphs.

(2.) Without limiting the generality of the last preceding sub-section, regulations under that sub-section may—

(a) make provision with respect to—

(i) the registration of waterside workers, or the cancellation or suspension of the registration of registered waterside workers, at permanent ports or continuous ports; or

(ii) the transfer of the names of registered waterside workers from Part A of the register of waterside workers at a permanent port or continuous port to Part B of that register;

(b) confer powers on the Authority; and

(c) prohibit the Authority from exercising a specified power conferred on it by the Stevedoring Industry Act.

(3.) Where regulations made under this Act are inconsistent with the Stevedoring Industry Act or with regulations made under that Act, the regulations made under this Act prevail and the Stevedoring Industry Act or the regulations made under that Act, as the case may be, cease, to the extent of the inconsistency, to have any force or effect.

Overview

The Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act 1967 was enacted to address specific issues within the stevedoring industry, particularly regarding the employment and management of waterside workers. This Act was introduced to provide temporary measures to manage the stevedoring industry until a more permanent solution could be implemented, as evidenced by the provision for its cessation on 1 July 1970. The Act was passed by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, and its primary objective was to facilitate smooth operations within the industry during a transitional period, ensuring that waterside workers' employment conditions were managed effectively until the industry could adapt to new standards and practices.

Scope and Application

The Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act 1967 applies to the stevedoring industry, specifically concerning the operations and employment practices at permanent ports as defined by the Act. The Act extends its application to the holding company, Stevedoring Employers of Australia Limited, and governs the payment of wages and other costs related to registered regular waterside workers. This Act is incorporated with and read as one with the Stevedoring Industry Act, indicating that its provisions work in conjunction with the latter. The geographic reach of the Act is Commonwealth-wide, impacting stevedoring operations across Australia, though the specific declarations and regulations may vary by port. The Act also provides for the establishment of permanent ports based on the availability of employment for registered regular waterside workers. The Act ceases to be in force on 1 July 1970 unless sooner repealed. The Governor-General can make regulations to complement or be incidental to the operation of the Act, which may include provisions related to the registration of waterside workers and the powers of the Authority.

Key Provisions

The Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act 1967 (referred to as the "Act") primarily deals with temporary provisions relating to the stevedoring industry. Section 1 (1) allows the Act to be cited as the Stevedoring Industry (Temporary Provisions) Act 1967, while Section 2 provides that the Act comes into operation on the day it receives Royal Assent. Section 3 states that this Act shall be incorporated and read as one with the Stevedoring Industry Act. Section 4 stipulates that the Act, unless sooner repealed, ceases to be in force on the first day of July, 1970, and shall be deemed to have been repealed on that date. The Act imposes several obligations and requirements on the parties it governs. Section 5 provides definitions for certain terms used in the Act. Section 6 allows the Minister to declare a port as a permanent port if employment as waterside workers on a weekly hiring has been available at the port for all registered regular waterside workers at that port. Section 7 enables the Authority to make payments to the holding company for specified purposes, subject to any direction of the Minister. Section 8 grants the Governor-General the power to make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act, to address various aspects of the stevedoring industry, including the performance of stevedoring operations, ensuring the availability of waterside workers, and disciplinary measures applicable to registered waterside workers. The Act also outlines potential offences, penalties, and civil or criminal consequences for breach of its provisions. Although specific penalties are not mentioned in the Act, breaches of the Act or the regulations made under it may result in legal consequences, including fines or imprisonment, depending on the severity of the breach and the relevant laws in force at the time of the breach. The exact penalties for any breach would be determined by the courts or relevant authorities according to the applicable law.

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Employment & Labour Law
Instrument
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Commencement Provisions
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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.